A Chinese volunteer (left) at the China-Guinea Friendship Hospital in Conakry, capital of Guinea, discusses a patient's condition with local medical professionals. Provided to China Daily A growing number of medical professionals are offering their services to aid those most in need. Wang Xiaodong reports. After working at a large, well-equipped hospital in Beijing, Chao Shuang could not have been more astonished by the conditions in Conakry, capital of Guinea, and the China-Guinea Friendship Hospital during her first visit to the West African country. I was prepared for the worst before I set out, but it turned out to be worse than I expected, she said. There are virtually no roads in the city. The hospitals, even major ones in the capital, are in dire need of basic equipment. Some of the testing equipment was made in the 1970s, so most of us had no idea how to use the machines. Chao, a pediatrician at Beijing Tsinghua Changgung Hospital, was part of an eight-strong team organized by the Chinese Medical Doctor Association. The Chinese medics - neurosurgeons, gynecologists and pediatricians from three tertiary hospitals in Beijing - provided voluntary services at the hospital in Guinea for three weeks. They mainly treated children with hydrocephalus, a condition in which fluid accumulates in the brain. Though the illness is common in Guinea, the patients often had a serious form of the condition as a result of delayed diagnosis and treatment, according to Chao. Working there was completely different from working at my hospital in Beijing, she said. We were constantly under pressure due to a lack of equipment, despite the things we had brought from China. The power supply in the operating rooms often failed, and sometimes the backup generator was also out of operation so we had to use the flashlights on our mobile phones to conduct surgery. Moreover, none of the Chinese doctors could speak French, the official language of Guinea, so it was difficult to communicate with the patients. Luckily, they met an interpreter who was working for a medical assistance squad dispatched by the Chinese government. The two groups shared the interpreter's services whenever possible, which was a great help, Chao said. In addition to providing diagnoses and surgeries, her team also helped to train local medical professionals. I was pleased to see some of the children with serious conditions improved after we treated them, she said. The experience was a spiritual baptism for me because I was finally able to help others in need, and I was so proud of myself. cheap silicone wristbands canadacustom rubber braceletspersonalized sports braceletsimages of rubber band braceletscustomize your own bracelets for couples
Standing Committee consensus: Innovation will drive developmentThe Xiongan New Area should become a city of innovation and a role model to promote high-quality development across the country, according to an official release after a meeting on Thursday chaired by Xi Jinping, general secretary of the Communist Party of China Central Committee.It was decided that a digital city should be planned and built simultaneously in Xiong-an, after the Standing Committee of the Political Bureau of the CPC Central Committee listened to briefings about the planning compilation of the new area.A slew of national-level innovation programs will be built as planned by the country to make the new area innovation-driven, according to the release.Highly efficient transportation networks should cover Xiongan, and a multilevel, people friendly network offering basic public services should be built there, the release said.China announced its plan in April 2017 to establish Xiongan New Area.Located about 100 kilometers southwest of Beijing, Xiongan geographically covers part of Hebei province's Xiongxian, Rongcheng and Anxin counties.According to the report of the 19th CPC National Congress delivered in October, the country aims to develop forward-looking plans and adopt high standards for building Xiongan New Area.Patience should be ensured during the city's construction, the statement said.Important progress has been made in the planning compilation of Xiongan as the plan has been reviewed and perfected through in-depth surveys, discussions and soliciting advice, it said.The planning and building of Xiongan, in pursuit of international standards and Chinese features, should fulfill the spirit of the 19th CPC National Congress and be under the guidance of Xi Jinping Thought on Socialism with Chinese Characteristics for a New Era. In addition, measures should be deliberated upon and issued in the near future to support Xiong-an's gearing up its paces of reform and opening-up.A batch of fundamental major projects should be initiated at appropriate times to ensure a good start in the construction of the new area, the release said.Efforts to build Xiongan should respect natural laws and result in an organized urban layout, and Xiongan should integrate regional culture, natural landscapes and the New Era's requirement, it said.
